UMaine Foundation announces record fundraising in FY 2018

Courtesy / University of Maine Foundation On hand for the announcement of the $1 million pledge for the University of Maine Engineering Education and Design Center are, left to right, College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey; donors Debbie Lipscomb and Dr. Denham Ward of Bowdoinham; and University of Maine Foundation President Jeff Mills.

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By Staff

More than 230 University of Maine benefactors gathered to celebrate a record-breaking year of fundraising at the annual University of Maine Foundation luncheon held on campus Oct. 26 during homecoming weekend.

Foundation President Jeff Mills announced gifts and pledges totaling $36.9 million for fiscal year 2018. That total is up 115% over the previous year and brings the total collected during the current Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campus to over $160 million, which is 80% of the campaign goal.

“2017–18 was a tremendous year for fundraising at the University of Maine,” Mills said in a news release. “As a result, UMaine’s endowments are now at an all-time high of over $327 million. Private support is providing UMaine students, faculty and staff with crucial resources that enhance their UMaine experience.”

To kick off 2018–19 fundraising, College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey announced a $1 million pledge from the Abbagadassett Foundation to support the Engineering Education and Design Center, UMaine’s top capital priority for the Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign.

“We are pleased to invest in this attractive new engineering center which includes significant space for biomedical engineering,” said Debbie Lipscomb, who co-directs the Abbagadassett Foundation in Bowdoinham, with her husband, Dr. Denham Ward, a member of the class of 1969. “That program is close to our hearts and we’re excited to be able to support it.”

Ward and Lipscomb have a long affiliation with the University of Maine. Ward, a native of Clinton, was an honors college student who graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He earned a doctorate degree in 1975 from the University of California Los Angeles, and an medical degree from the University of Miami in 1977. He is an emeritus professor and chair of anesthesiology at the University of Rochester, where he and his wife were active members of the UMaine Alumni Rochester Chapter.

Lipscomb is a graduate of Occidental College. The couple also supports scholarships for engineering majors in the honors college.